The Galway Races were on last week – a huge part of the season over here matched only by Cheltenham or Ascot. New Irish money means that the sky is full of helicopters at an event that all of Irish society attends.

The Irish premier, Bertie Ahern, is a cute fund raiser and his party, Fianna Fail, hosts a big fund raising tent at the races which through a combination of alcohol and gambling bravado regularly raises six-figure sums over the week. It possibly raises more, but with Bertie and Fianna Fail you never know where all the money goes…

So it is with some amusement that Guido learns that Dave is going to try something similar. According to the WestMidlands Conservatives website “the Conservative Party Treasurers’ Midlands Income Generation Board has teamed up with Uttoxeter Racecourse to provide a special fund raising race day for the Party, both locally and regionally. The Party Leader, David Cameron MP will be attending along with other members of the Shadow Cabinet as well as senior MPs and MEPs from around the country.”